Mixing apparatus



Jan. 4, 1938. J M FLYNN 2,104,191

MIXING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 16, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 4, 1938. J.M. FLYNN MIXING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 16, 1937 @sheetssheet 2 Jan. 4,1938. .1.r M. FLYNN 2,104,191

Y MIXING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 16, 1957 3 sheets-sheet 5 Patented Jan. 4,1938 UNITED STA PATENT, OFIQE.

Claims.

This invention relates to mixers adapted without material structuralmodification to versatile uses, for example, the mixing of concrete orstock feed. In the following specification, the appa- 5 ratus will bedescribed as a concrete mixer.

One of the objects of the invention is the provi-- sion of apparatus inwhich the several ingredients to be mixed are fed simultaneously andgradually to a mixing chamber, proportionately to their relli' spectivequantities so as to secure continuous uniform distribution of theingredients from they initial point of their coming together.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for elevatingthe dry ingredients in lo separate streams to a point from which theyare cascaded convergently upon a conveyor, being thus preliminarilymixed, and being elevated by said conveyor to an agitating chamber wherethey are wet mixed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mixer in which, in theinterest of optimumeeii- Yciency, the mixing operation is spread alongas great a longitudinal path as possible, and in which the maximumlength of mixing path is concentrated within the dimensions of apractical portable apparatus by arranging part of the pathlongitudinally of the apparatus and part transversely thereof, thelongitudinal part including nights arranged in multiple, while thetransverse 3g part comprises a plurality of elongated mixing tanks ortroughs serially connected and in superposed relation.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following descriptionof a preferred and practical embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the drawings throughout the several figures of which the samecharacters of reference have been employed to designate identical parts:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of mixing apparatus embodying theprinciples of the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section;

Figure 4 is a transverse section taken along the line 4 4 of Figure 1;and

4,5 Figure 5 is an oblique section taken along the line 5--5 of Figure3. e

Referring now in detail to the several figures, the numeral l representsa frame which might be mounted upon the chassis of a vehicle. A hopper50 2 is mounted upon one end of the frame, being suitably secured as bythe supports 3.

It will be seen from FigureZ thatthe hopper consists of threecompartments 4, 5 and E, separated by partitions 'l and 8 and convergentto- 55 ward the bottom. The floor 9 of the hooper slopes upward. Thecompartments are designed to receivethree separate ingredients of themixture which are dumped into the forward ends of the compartments.Since the invention is being described as a concrete mixer it'will beassumed 5 that the three ingredients are gravel, sand and cement. Theseare customarily used in unequal proportions and it will be assumed forexample, that in the present instance they are to be mixed in theproportion of three parts gravel, two parts 10 sand and one of cementand that the respective quantities of the three ingredients dumped intothe compartments will be in proportion to these ratios. y v

One of the purposes of the invention is to cone 15 tinuously combine theingredients approximately in these proportions at the point where theyare first brought together for mixing. Therefore Screw conveyors Ill, Iland I2 are provided in the bottom portions of the compartments forlifting 20 the materials to the top of the hopper and letting them fallfrom the upper end of said hopper. These conveyors are operated from apower shaft I3 through a chain and sprocket connection i4, a lay shaftI5 through chain and sprocket con- 25 nections i6, another lay shaft il,chain and sprocket connection ll' to a shaft i8', chain i8, to a gearshaft I9 arranged transversely of the hopper and having the bevelledgears 25,26 and 22 which mesh with the pinion units 23, 24 and 3U 25,respectively, said units comprising xed bear,n ings 2G in each of whichis journalled a shaft 2l, see Figure 3, having a bevelled gear 28, saidbevelled gears meshing with the gears on the shaft l!! While theopposite ends of the shafts 21 carry 35 spur gears 29, 3D and 3l. Theselast named gears mesh with idlers 32, 33 and 34, the idlers meshing withgears 35 atthe upperI ends of the conveyors l2 and by which theconveyors are driven.

The spur gears 29, 3!! and 3l are removable and 40 interchangeable. Inthe present illustrated embodiment the idlers are of the same size, butthe spur gears are of different size giving gear ratios of 1, 2 and 3 sothat the conveyors will revolve at a rate proportionater to thequantities of ingredients Awhich they are called upon to lift, theresult being that all of the hoppers will be emptied simultaneously andthat the ingredients will be brought together where they fall from thetop of said hopper continuously in said proportion-ate amount. In orderto make the gear ratios between the spur gears and the correspondingidlersl variable, the idlers are each mounted upon a bracket 36 whichswings about the axis of the conveyor gear 35 with which it isassociated so 55 wall 38 of the chute 31 landing upon the dashV board 39from which it discharges into the transverse pockets 40 formed along anendless beltY conveyor 4l which is located in the bottom of the chute.It will be observed from Figure 3 that the oor 42 of the chute, as Wellas the conveyor 4l inclines upwardly. The pockets 40 are dened by theblades 43, upstanding from said belt conveyor, and the dash board 3B ispivotallyV secured as at M to the end wall 38 of the chute and freelyrests upon the blades 43 against which itbumps during the travel of saidconveyor. The bumping action creates vibrations or shocks which preventsmaterial from sticking in the pockets of the conveyor or against theupstanding blades.A

It will be observed from Figure 2 that the chute 3l while wide enough atthe upper incident end to receive the streams of separate ingredientsYfrom the compartments of the hopper, narrows as it approaches the planeof the conveyor` 4l so as to coalesce these streams into a single streamby the time they reach the pockets 40. Thus the mixing oi theingredients starts at the time they begin to cascade from the upper endsof the screw conveyors l0, il and l2 at which time the ingredients arefalling loosely, providing spaces between the grains or particles intowhich particles from the other streams, may enter Vfacilitating theintermingling of the ingredients.

The conveyor @I at its upper end discharges gravitationally into theagitating troughs or tanks l5 and 46 placed transversely of the base orframe l and beneath the upper end of the conveyor 4I. It Will be seenthat the forward end of the chute including the upper portion of theconveyor 4l is enclosed by a casing 41 which is continuous with thewalls of the agitating tanks 45 and 45, so that the mixer issubstantially dust-Y less. Figure 4 shows that the conveyor 4Idischarges into the upper agitating tank 45 at one end thereof and thatthe two tanks communicate with one another at the opposite end by meansof the connecting conduit 48 so that the material entering the agitatingtanks passes serially through them before reaching the final discharge49.

Since it is frequently desirable to add another ingredient such forexample, as a coloring factor to the mixture an auxiliary hopper 50 isprovided above the conveyor 4l having a feed door 5i and a rotary beater52 by means of which the ingredient within the auxiliary hopper isagitated and kept from sticking.

Referring now to Figure 2, it will be observed that the agitating tanks45 and 46 are provided with rotary agitators 53 and 54, respectively,each consisting of a shaft l5 and Il mounted coaxially of the said tanksin bearings in the end walls thereof and suitably driven from the powershaft i3. The shafts l5 and I1 are provided at intervals withcircumferential series of impeller blades 5U which continuously mix themass Within the tanksand progressively moves it through the tanks inseries into the discharge 4S. Itis contemplated in general that theingredients introduced into the hopper compartments 4, 5 and 6 will bein dry state and that in the case of concrete this condition willcontinue until the ingredients'reach the agitating tank 45. In this tankthey are wetted and the agitators 53 and 54 are particularly designedfor handling a wet mixture. Water is supplied tothe agitating tank 45 bymeans of a manifold 6| having a plurality of valve controlled nozzles62, the valves of which are simultaneously controlled by a plurality oflevers 53 pivotally connected to an operating rod 64 actuated by meansof a handle B5 shown in Figure 4. The manifold '6i is connected by aVconduit 66 in alternative ways, to a pump 67, see

source, but if the Water must be taken from a stream it is drawn up bythe pump. The induction end of the pump is connected to the connection68 by a pipe GS. A suitable cut-ofi valve i6 determines whether thewater supply shall be delivered to the pump or by-pass the pump. AnyVsuitable type of pump may be employed with this concrete mixer; thepump shown by way of example includesY a bull wheel H with a crank 'l2which through a connecting rod 'I3 operates a cross head I4 whichactuates a piston or pistons within the pump chamber.

A double ended spout l5 is positioned beneath the nal discharge 49 andreceives the finished mixture. Said spout is shown journalled on anextending portion 16 of the casing of the lowermost agitating'chamber bymeans of the bearing ring Tl, while on the other side it is journalledupon an extension of the agitator shaft I1. A

handle '18 vis attached to the outer end of the spout and pivotedcoaxially'with the shaft I1 by means such as the bolt 19. By moving thehandle 18 in either direction, the double ended spout 15 may beVcorrespondingly tilted. Y

As has been suggested in the preliminary statement of the Vobjects ofthis invention, it seeks to increase the efficiency of mixing byextending the ingredients in as long a longitudinal path as possibleduring the act of mixing. This is in contra-distinction to ordinarymethods of mixing which is to dump the ingredients together in a pileresulting in a promiscuous mixing which has no certainty of uniformityof mixture and which Vnecessitates the lifting of materials a great manymore times than is required by the present invention. In order to securethis linear mixing especially when the ingredients are employed inldiiiferent denite proportions, it is essential that they beprogressively brought together in the proportions in which they are tobe mixed and that in order to adapt such a system to the smalldimensions required for a truck or other portable vehicle it isnecessary that the construction Vbe such that the streams or columns ofseparate materials be in multiple relation, and that the path throughwhich the wetted ingredients must pass during the period of agitationshall be transverse with respect to the frame or base of the apparatus,ldisposed in tiers, serially connected, all of which essential anddesirable features have been provided in the present machine. Y

While I have in the above description disclosed what I believe to be apreferred and practical embodiment of the invention, it will beunderstood to those skilled in the art that the specic details ofconstruction and arrangement of parts is by way of example and not to beconstrued as limiting the scope of the invention as dened in theappended claims.

What I claim is 1. Mixing machine comprising a frame, a plurality ofhoppers arranged in side by side relation toward one end of said frame,an upwardly inclined screw conveyor for each hopper, a trough inclinedupwardly in the same direction as said screw Conveyors having its lowerend beneath the high ends of said screw conveyors, a belt conveyor insaid trough, a chute flaring upwardly toward said screw conveyors andembracing the discharge ends thereof, converging downwardly toward saidtrough and communicating therewith adjacent the lower portion of saidbelt conveyor where material is discharged from said screw conveyorsupon said belt conveyor, and transverse mixing troughs, arranged insuperposed serial relation toward the opposite end of said frame beneaththe upper end of said belt conveyor in communication with the upper 'endof sai-d chute for receiving material from said belt conveyor, and a naldischarge for the lowermost of said mixing troughs.

2. Mixing machine as claimed in claim 1, including interchangeable gearsets in the driving connections of said screw conveyors whereby they maybe driven at selectively determined speed ratios.

3. Mixing machine as claimed in claim 1, the final discharge from thelowermost of said mixers comprising an oscillating spout coaxial withthe agitator in said mixer, said spout being open at both endslongitudinally of said frame.

4. Mixing machine as claimed in claim 1, including a conduit having aspray pipe overlying the uppermost of said transverse mixing troughs,said conduit having an end adapted to be coupled to a source of liquidsupply, a pump, and a by-pass around said pump adapting said conduit toconduct water under main pressure or to create pressure in said conduit.

5. Mixing machine as claimed in claim 1, said belt conveyor havingtransverse vanes forming pockets, and a jarring element engageable withsaid pockets for dislodging adherent substance therefrom.

JOE M. FLYNN.

